Logic Pro tip - Sustain pedal=kick drum!
Here’s a quick fun thing you can try in Logic using the Transformer object. Basically we’re going to turn a normal sustain pedal into a kick drum pedal.
The Transformer object
The Transformer object is tucked away inside the Enviroments ‘New’ file menu. Chances are you might never have actually used this as it looks a bit daunting if you don’t know what is is. It simply allows you to change or ‘Transform’ an incoming MIDI message into something else in real time. There is another version of this object called the Transform window which can be found in the main Window menu or inside the new ‘Piano Roll’ window under Functions. This lets you transform recorded MIDI.
For this tutorial we’ll be going for transform on input. So, open the Enviroment window by pressing Command+8. In the top left corner choose ‘Clicks & Ports’. When you’ve done this select ‘New’ from the menu and choose ‘Transformer’. Insert it between the ‘Input view’ and ‘Sequencer Input’ like so.
When you’ve done this double click it and a dialogue box should appear.
Tramsforming the MIDI
Now we need to turn our sustain pedal MIDI message into a ‘Note on’ message. Sustain pedal is transmitted as MIDI controller 64. It has a value of 0 to 127 like all MIDI messages including Note messages. 0 is ‘off’, ‘127′ is on. All we have to say is take anything equal to a Control message with a value equal to 64 and Fix it to a Note message with the note value C1 ( that’s where most MIDI Kick drums are mapped on the keyboard ). This is what it looks like set up.
Pressing the sustain pedal should now show up as C1 in the MIDI activity display in the Transport bar.
Load up a virtual instrument track and open your favorite drum sampler. You can now play the hi-hat and snare on your keyboard and use the sustain pedal as the kick drum. It takes a bit of getting used to and feels a bit lumpy at first but there’s always quantize!
Don’t forget to unwire it if your going to record say a piano afterwards as hitting the sustain pedal will produce a note instead. The Transform function in Logic is a very powerful tool but gets neglected as it looks a bit complex. Break out that manual and dig in as it can produce a lot of really cool effects and save unnessessary mouse editing. I use Fixed Note Length all the time to clean up drum parts. Humanize can also unstiffen quantized parts.
Enjoy!